Amalgamator.



R. LUCKENBACH.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION PIL'ED MAY 22, 1912.

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A TTORNE Y 2 SHEETS--SHEET l.

Patented Oct. 29, 1912.

WITNESSELSl d R.' LUCKENBACH.

AMALGAMATOR.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 2z, 1912.

Patented 0013. 29, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

@f Bym 'UNTED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

ROYER LUCKENBACH, 0F COLWYN, PENNSYLVXA, ASSIGNOR TO PENN MINING & REDUCTION COMPANY, OF CAMDEN, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

AMALGAMATOR.

Specicaton of Letters Patent.

PaiteritedOct. 29, 1912.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, ROYER LUGKENBACH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Colwyn, in the county of Delaware and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Amalgamator's, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has relai-ion to the provision of an apparatus to hasten the thorough recovery of precious metals from ores or materials containing them, by amalgamation; and in conjunction with such amalgam or mercury recovery, generating chlorine gas by electrolytic action, in order that this gas may be employed in scouring the coarser particles in the recovery of the precious metals from the ores or other materials containing them, thus placing the same in a better condition under such treatment for more thorough amalgamation and to a greater extent, as well as to more expeditiously dissolve finer particles of the precious met-als in their presentation to the amalgam or mercury.

The nature and scope of my invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which- Figure l, is a perspective view, showing in elevation and in broken section a connected pair of an apparatus, embodying main features of my invention, for hastening thorough amalgamation of precious metals from ores or materials containing them; and Fig. 2, isa view partly in side elevation and partly in central longitudinal section of another form of an apparatus, in connected pairs, and as so arranged, for the same defined purpose.

Referring to the 'drawings with reference particularly to Fig. l, a, is a vertically arranged appliance in connected pairs, constituting one form of the amalgamator of my present invention, and each consisting of a sectional casing a1, having in the roof a2, an ore matter inlet conduit a3, a hopper a4, for introducing the amalgamating substance or mixture into the appliance, a pressure `gage a5, and an arched outlet a, for ore matter therefrom to the next correspond-v ing appliance of the apparatus.

The sectional casing al, is divided into two compartments a8 and a", by a partition wall a7, and the bottom of the said casing is formed into a trough al", for containing a body of amalgam or mercury, and with an outlet a, having a valve cl3.

In the compartment as, of the said apparatus, is provided a bottom consisting of two series of depending iaring castings f7) and b1, and which castings extend downward some distance into the body of amalgam or mercury of the trough am, as clearly shown in Fig. l, thereby sealing the said compartment a8, from the other compartment a". t

The ore pulp or matter to be treated in the appliance is forced under pressure into the compartment a8, through the conduit a3, at the top of the casing al, and is forced downward against the perforated bottom of the said compartment as, and passes thercthrough'in widely diffused or spray-like distribution by the flaring character of the castings Z) and b1, extending into the body of amalgam or mercury of the trough al", for more than half of their length so that thereby the discharged matter may, in its more or less thoroughly broken-up condition in volume, be thoroughly caught and entrained in the amalgam or mercury in a state of agitation. The above action on the ore pulp will be assisted by the suspended anode in the compartment a9, with its reclaiming plate extending down into the body of amalgam or mercury of the said trough, and the cathode, which anode and cathode respectively, are connected by circuit-wires with a source of energy, not shown. Any matter not entrained by the said body of amalgam or mercury in the trough al", will be deposited on the reclaiming plate.

At stated intervals recovered values are inlet-conduit a3, kconnected with the top of the first unit and at an opposite end byan claimed is conducted -to the next unit of the Il O amalgamator. The anode am', is arranged in this view intwo connected parts and the reclaiming plate w15', opposite the anode am. The amalgam or mercury of the trough al", constitutes the cathode element am', and in conjunction with the anode by a circuit from a source of energy, not shown, they set up the required electrolytic action to rcreate gases for effecting the coarse as well as fine part-icles of the ore pulp, in amalgamation, hastening such and increasing the quantitative recoveries of the precious particles from such ore pulp.

rlhe mode of operation of the apparat-us of both Fig. l and Fig. 2, is as follows The ore pulp or matter, in a more or less pulver-ized condition to be treated, is pumped into the conduit a3, and forced downward in volume into the bottom of the compartment as, and passes more or less broken up through the two series of depending flaring castings Z) and b1, into the body direct of the amalgamor mercury of the trough al, in a widely diffused sub-divided spray-like diffusion for the entrainment of thepivalues of the pulp by theamalgam or mercury. After repeated presentations of theore pulp or matter in the manner as hereinbefore explained, such as not fully recovered and deposited on the reclaiming plate m15 or am', will be conducted through the upper part of the compartment a, into a similar connected arrangement as hereinbefore described for like treatment and further recoveries of values from the ore pulp.

At stated intervals the recovered values in the body of amalgam or. mercuryA may be removed by introducing air or water through the inlet conduit alcwhen the valve am, is open to discharge .through the piping'a,

an'd to cleanse t-he reclaiming plate (L15, or au', after cutting off the current establishing t-he circuit from a source of energy.

Having thus described the nature and objects of my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent l. An amalgamator arranged to contain an amalgam or mercury, a partition depending below the amalgam or mercury level, said amalgamator having feed and outlet elongated compartments, the feedchamber being provided with a bottom having a plurality of parallel rows of downwardly flaring feedtubes depending below the amal gam o-r mercury level, with their lower ends covering substantially the area of the feed section to provide a widely diiused subdivided distribution of pulp, in said amalgam or mercury.

2. An amalgamator transversely elongated and arranged to contain an amalgam or mercury, apartition depending from the top to below the amalgam or mercury level and subdividing the amalgamator into narrow feed and outlet compartments elongated I transversely of the amalgamator, the feed chamber being provided with a bottom havino' a luralit of arallel rows of downv D P y P wardly flaring feed tubes depending below said mercury level with theii1 lower ends covering substantially the area of the feed section to provide a widely diffused sub-di` vided distributionof pulp, in said amalgam or mercury.

In witness whereof, li have hereunto set my signature in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses hereto.

ROYER LUCKENBACH.

Witnesses: v

THOMAS M. SMITH, HELEN MILLER. 

